St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: St. John's at USF
1/17/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
St. John's Assistant Coach Mike Dunlap
On the USF Bulls:
"They're one of the more experienced teams in the BIG EAST and they have great length. [Augustus] Gilchrist anchors them in the front line along with [Ron] Anderson Jr. They've worked themselves into a good state. They've won on the road at Seton Hall and also Villanova so I think they bring a whole lot of versatility to the game. It's another challenge for the Red Storm."
On where the team needs improvement:
"Number one is rebounding. Both teams, Marquette and Georgetown, hurt us on the boards at key times. We worked really hard to get stops, but we couldn't finish the plays. The second is turnovers and turning the ball over in streaks where we actually give our opponents layups. The third is to be who we are and that's a run team, a paint team and a free throw team."
On Amir Garrett and Sir'Dominic Pointer defensively:
"They give us length. So when you've got both guys on the floor at the same time they're 6-6 and 6-7, respectively, and they're both very aggressive players that can run and play off the rim. They're exciting, fun to watch, and they're growing and developing nicely."
St. John's Freshman Swingman Amir Garrett
On evolution since joining the team:
"It's been great. I've been progressing as I've been going along and working hard in practice. Coach said that my minutes would go up as long as I worked hard and get down on defense. I've been seeing the change; I've been playing hard and everything's been coming together."
On what he's been able to contribute:
"On defense, the intensity I bring, I've been able to get the ball handlers to turn the ball over more because I'm pressuring them on defense, and it's helping out a lot. With me and [Sir'Dominic Pointer] at the top, we've been ball stoppers at the top. I've been letting the team hear my voice, on the court or off and just being a good teammate."
On BIG EAST basketball:
"There's nothing like BIG EAST play. It's competitive every night. Every team you play, you could be beaten on every given night."
